Cross-Focused Leadership for Missouri

This letter was mailed to all delegates around June 29th, which included this letter from World Relief and Human Care.

Dear Delegate,

God has richly blessed the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod over its history. But we have not always been good stewards of His blessings. Today we find ourselves in a precarious financial situation and you, as delegates to the convention, will be asked to address this. We at Cross-Focused Leadership for Missouri agree with our Synodical leaders that it’s time for a clear-eyed look at our financial situation, so that we might best consider how to move forward together as a Synod.

First, let us be clear that we are not placing blame for our current situation on any one individual, group, or program. The situation is complex. Even before the current economic downturn, our coffers have suffered due to declining membership, a lack of trust, various questionable decisions, and, we believe, a lack of strategic vision.  Our current leadership has tried many tactics – from new programs to drastic measures such as the sale of Synod assets – to fix the problem. The results have been mixed at best.

Here’s what has happened this past decade and what we think it’s time to do:

In 2001, congregations and districts sent Synodical headquarters $28 million to allot for general mission and ministry purposes. By this year, that number had shrunk to just $18 million. In the last few years, the Synod’s net worth has been reduced by millions of dollars. Two years ago, the Synod had a net worth of only $160,000. In early June, Synod executives were told that there were only eight days in operating cash remaining in Synodical coffers.

President Kieschnick, our Synodical President since 2001, attempted to fix the decline by launching a vigorous evangelism program called Ablaze!. Its fundraising arm is called Fan Into Flame. Unfortunately, these programs have not fared as well as hoped. Hoping to raise $100 million by the end of 2009, only $55.2 million has been pledged thus far, according to the LCMS Convention Workbook.

Of this total, only $27.4 million – less than half of the pledged funds – has been received. What’s more, it cost the Synod over $14.3 million to get that cash in hand. That might help explain why, according to the Convention Workbook, less than $7 million has been distributed to participating districts and congregations for their local efforts. Now, it certainly costs money to raise money, but spending so many millions on fundraising made many donors wonder if their monies would be more appreciated elsewhere.

As one seminary professor told the Reporter this month, “Synod’s financial crisis predates the economic recession. People are reluctant to give to Synodical coffers in part because so much is spent on consultants, professional fund-raisers, and overhead.”

Most troubling of all, the millions raised aren’t being used to send ordained missionaries across the world. Despite the massive fundraising effort, missionaries are still expected to raise almost all of their own funds. LCMS World Mission reports that they have only 35 pastors serving as foreign missionaries. And yet there are 60 World Mission staff members who function as overhead back at Synodical headquarters in St. Louis.

Here in the United States, the situation is also disconcerting. In 2001, when Synodical President Gerald Kieschnick took office, membership in our church was 2.54 million. By 2008, the last year for which statistics are available, membership had declined to 2.33 million.

A TALE OF TWO DEPARTMENTS

Some have suggested that restructuring would fix the problems that ail us. Whether or not that’s true, it’s worth comparing how the Synod’s two largest departments have been run over the last decade.

LCMS World Mission, which runs Ablaze!, has been deficit spending for years, most recently because of huge fundraising campaigns that use expensive consultants. The consultants, many of whom are not Lutheran, have cost millions upon millions of dollars, further exacerbating a deteriorating Synodical fiscal picture.

Thankfully, due to the expected generosity of a donor, World Mission hopes to end the year in the black. But such generosity can’t be counted on. Just a few weeks ago, World Mission was operating with a deficit of $1.5 million. According to the Synod’s May monthly operations report, World Mission had spent $2.8 million this fiscal year to raise $3.0 million. Last year, the World Mission deficit was $5.5 million.

The impact that this shortfall has on funding for one of Synod’s formative purposes – world missions – is troubling. For each $1 million deficit, what will be the shortfall in trained and qualified personnel for the important work of spreading the Gospel? What about eight? Ten? Surely that must be a concern. When missionaries must be recalled from the field for lack of support, we must ask what we need to change to make it possible for them to continue their work. Those who are called to be evangelists need to be supported, not tasked with raising funds for the work that should consume all their energies. There must be better ways for missionaries to foster connections with their supporters than serving as part-time development personnel.

But not every program is struggling. LCMS World Relief and Human Care is the Synod’s mercy arm headed by the Rev. Matthew Harrison. The department, which handles its own fundraising, has been in the black every year of Rev. Harrison’s tenure. The department has handled some $100 million in donor funds during that time. He says it’s simple – you just spend less money than you raise. In the face of economic uncertainties of the past year, World Relief and Human Care even reduced their budget to ensure they would remain in the black.

World Relief and Human Care has handled its finances so well, in fact, that the Synod borrows the funds raised by World Relief and Human Care to cover other programs. Sometimes the funds being borrowed, interest free, are as high as $14 million to $18 million.

President Kieschnick has argued that his restructuring plan needs to be passed, eliminating World Relief and Human Care and other program boards, in order to eliminate inefficiency. But Treasurer Tom Kuchta was quoted in the July 2009 Reporter saying restructuring proposals would be immaterial to the Synod’s bottom line.
The declining financial situation over the last decade even led to the sale of the Synod’s KFUO-FM. Without the first payments on the $26 million the Synod hopes to eventually get for that, budgets wouldn’t have been balanced this year. When LCMS members objected to the sale, the Synod assured them that the sale was made “to enable the LCMS to pursue new and exciting opportunities in the area of digital communications that can be used to accomplish our mission.” Except that the money realized this year went straight to covering financial shortfalls, not new digital communications efforts. And no funds have been set aside for digital communications.

Like so many of our other problems, the financial woes we face won’t be fixed by shuffling chairs on the deck.  At this convention, you will hear of the financial challenges we face as part of the arguments for restructuring the Synod.  But new structures won’t provide the vision and leadership we need, and many of them will set the Lord’s ministry back even further (putting a wide variety of our work from human care to early childhood education to black ministry at risk). Sure, some of the restructuring proposals have merit, but things like having our convention every four years instead of every three don’t really get the job done.

What should we do instead?  We believe we should follow the leadership of Rev. Matt Harrison. He and Rev. Herb Mueller are articulating a strategic vision that we believe will address our problems at their core.  They would change how we manage our programs and stop spending in excess of revenues.  They would rebuild the trust between congregations, districts, and Synod by funding what congregations care most about: Sending pastors to plant churches overseas, training pastors and church workers and mercy for the needy. Rev. Harrison notes that just $2 million a year to each seminary could bring 200 international students to our campuses each year.  And the reconciliation plan outlined in It’s Time will help restore unity among us – which is key to arresting membership decline.  This combination of management, vision, congregational priorities, and Synodical “inreach” will build on the solid foundation of God’s Word, and make our Synod strong again.

“There is no shortage to what the Lord can provide,” Rev. Harrison says, “The sooner we get back to the basics, (and stop doing some other things), the sooner we will realize it.”

We don’t need to transform the church.  We don’t need to make it up as we go along.  We have what we need in the apostles’ teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of the bread, and the prayers. (Acts 2:42) What “worked” for our grandfathers’ is sufficient for us always.  We don’t need to retool like some corporation whose product has become obsolete.  We just need to be the church again.  It’s time.

Sincerely,

Your Friends at Cross-Focused Leadership for Missouri,

Phillip Magness
Lindsay Umayam
Pastor Tom Chryst
Stephen R. Johnson
Pastor Paul Cain
Pastor Paul Schlueter
Jenny Jordan
Pastor Tony Sikora
Pastor Clint Poppe

P.S. Some inaccurate information about the management of World Relief and Human Care was sent to delegates earlier this week. You can find the Board for Human Care’s response at http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=17177 (which leads to this PDF). For your convenience we have also attached the letter.

This letter was mailed to all delegates around June 22nd.

Dear Delegate,

You will hear much talk about missions at the upcoming convention. This makes perfect sense: the LCMS has always been a missionary church, filled with great fervor for reaching out with the life-giving and life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ. From the gathering of immigrants into congregations and establishing new congregations on the prairie to the sending of pastors to establish mission churches in Brazil, China, India, and Japan, we have always been a church body engaged in mission work at home and abroad. President Barry’s “Tell the Good News About Jesus” emphasis and President Kieschnick’s “Ablaze!” initiative have continued the mission focus of our beloved synod. For that we are very thankful.

Yet, as we discuss missions and being “missional” we must remember that the purpose of Lutheran mission is to preach the Gospel, administer the sacraments, and – through these means – to establish Lutheran congregations.

Unfortunately, this is something which we have not been doing well.

In the heyday of mission activity in 1970, the LCMS had about 350 full-time missionary families serving overseas. In 1980, we had around 150. In 1990, the number had increased to 160. In 2000, we had 105. Today, in 2010, we have only 70 full-time missionary families serving overseas. Less than half of these are pastors. We have only two missionary pastors serving in all of South America.

We maintain less than one tenth the number of seminary-trained missionaries to preach the Gospel and baptize the nations (Matt 28:19) than we did four decades At a time when the
world is throwing
open its doors to us
we should be sending
out more pastoral
missionaries rather
than bringing them
home.
ago. And, tragically, the few missionaries that are deployed are often not specifically and intentionally working to begin new congregations, but invested instead in tasks others could do.

On the international scene, many watch with dismay as our missionary force shrinks. Instead of sending out new missionaries, we are bringing them home. Instead of placing our youngest and most energetic pastors – recent seminarians – into mission opportunities, we leave these great resources unused for the mission of Christ.  Many pastors await calls. They are saying “Here am I. Send me!” Yet we are not sending them.

We can do better than this!

The Ablaze! initiative marked a shift in the LCMS international mission strategy. It is a change that has been poorly communicated and poorly understood. Here’s what has happened: our Synodical mission program has changed from “doing” mission work to “enabling” it. Rather than sending missionaries to preach the Gospel and plant churches, the international focus is on “capacity-building.” That means our LCMS resources are dedicated primarily to helping partner churches and others increase their ability to reach out with the Gospel in their own context. “Building capacity” may mean placing a seminary professor in Korea, financing an evangelization plan in Argentina, or setting up outreach centers in rural Africa. Obviously this work is necessary. As one of the wealthiest Lutheran Church bodies in the world we should be helping others carry out their ministry. But it’s not the same as sending missionaries. And it’s not the same as planting churches. The current approach is misguided and unbalanced.

It’s time to change this.

Certainly, today’s world is very different from how things were in 1970. In many ways, it is a world more hostile to Jesus Christ and His Good News of salvation. Yet, at the same time, there are more opportunities than ever to proclaim Jesus to the nations. Throughout the world, a harvest is ripening. At a time when the world is throwing open its doors to us we should be sending out more pastoral missionaries rather than bringing them home. Works of mercy and human care are truly important, just as are capacity-building offerings to poorer sister synods, but no soul has entered heaven because his mortal body was fed and clothed. Rather, Christ preached into his ears and his sins washed in baptism has granted him eternal rest with Christ!

Jesus’ words at the end of the Gospel of Matthew assume that Christians will be going to make disciples of all nations through teaching and baptizing (Mt. 28:18-20).  We need to establish churches throughout the world. Sending money may be helpful in some situations, but it is not the same as sending people!

It’s time for the “Good Ship Missouri” to have an admiral who has spent some time at sea. The Rev. Matthew Harrison began his churchly service as a missionary. He was a missionary pastor in rural and urban settings and that missionary-pastor heart remains central to his life and work. He has put forth dynamic ideas such as bringing in 100 seminarians from around the world to each of our two seminaries, that they may return home to be the pastoral missionaries the nations so dearly need. It’s time to consider Rev Matt Harrison for president. We need to restore our focus on missions that preach the Word  and administer the sacraments, on missions born out of the heart of the Great Commission. This convention can help make that happen.

We know that we are asking the synod to do something uncomfortable: change leaders.  This is not a change we should make lightly.  But this new direction in missions over the past decade has not served the Gospel well. We do not think this is acceptable, and, given the current administration’s commitment to an incomplete and unbalanced approach, a change in leadership is needed. Many others agree with us, and we invite you to read their testimonies on our website (crossfocusedleadership.org).  Let’s follow Rev. Harrison’s lead and “rock the world” with global Lutheranism – just like we did in our grandfathers’ day.

It’s Time!

Your friends at Cross-Focused Leadership for Missouri

Phillip Magness
Lindsay Umayam
Pastor Tom Chryst
Stephen R. Johnson
Pastor Paul Cain
Pastor Paul Schlueter
Jenny Jordan
Pastor Tony Sikora
Pastor Clint Poppe

Dear Friend in Christ and Delegate to the National Synodical Convention,

We hope you are enjoying the “Little Book on Joy” we sent you. We hope this gift will be a blessing to you, as it has been to many of us. As Jesus First wrote recently in one of their newsletters to the synod, Rev. Harrison is “an accomplished writer, Bible study leader, and preacher,” as well as “a merciful pastor and church leader.” While they disagree with us as to whom the best candidate for synod president may be, they certainly agree with us and with many that Rev. Harrison is a blessing to the church. Regardless of how you may be inclined to vote, we trust you understand that politics in the church is – and should be – different than politics in the world, and so it is possible for us to rejoice in and share the gifts and talents of all the candidates who have been nominated.

That’s something else on which we agree with Jesus First and others who support President Kieshnick for a fourth term: that to support one candidate is not to diminish another. Too often the worldly politics of campaigning against people creeps into the church. This leads to unfortunate and even sinful personal attacks, which should have no place among Christians. Instead, our mutual conversation should build up the church, and in that spirit we offer some more things for you to read, should you wish to learn more about what we mean by leadership from a “cross-focused” perspective.

• What Others Are Saying provides ten “testimonials” from a wide variety of people who have known Rev. Harrison over the years – from government officials to an emeritus district president.
• Matt Harrison Can NOT Unify the Synod gets to the heart of church unity. Church leaders really don’t get it done, and yet we need men like Harrison to get us there. Here’s why.
• Harrison the Pastor helps you get to know Rev. Harrison beyond his administrative record and various achievements on his résumé. Read this to get a view into the heart of the man many are saying will be our next synodical president.

Speaking of the prospect of a new synodical president, we would like to acknowledge that we are asking you to do something uncomfortable: to switch leaders in the church. Even though the office of synod president is an elected position, one does not make such a change lightly. Whatever the merits of length-in-office or term limits might be, we believe we need new leadership now. Matt Harrison showed that he has the right approach when he pointed out over a year ago that structural changes are not going to solve our real problems. Sure, some of the proposals of the “Blue Ribbon Committee” are good ones. Neither CFLM nor Matt Harrison oppose all of them. But they are emblematic of what ails us: a focus on policies and procedure rather than cross and comfort. It is only the latter focus that will unify and motivate us. Three more years of the same direction, the same approach, and the same leadership style are not going to solve our problems. If anything, they will get worse.

The true power of Synod is the power of the Word of God. Real solutions come through the Gospel doing its thing among us. Our official gatherings should be immersed in the Word of God, just like in our grandfathers’ day, so that delegates are actually strengthened in their faith and built up in the joy of the Lord. Sure, we’ve got some legislating to do, but let’s not let this business turn us into legislators with the burdens of the Law. Instead of focusing on things like the number of terms someone ought to serve, the length of terms, eliminating boards for everything from Human Care to Black Ministry – or even changing the name of our synod – let’s keep our focus on the Gospel and do what is best for our synod: return missionaries to the field, rejuvenate our seminaries, support our pastors, and serve our congregations.

That is our prayer for this convention, that we will move beyond process to substance, and that we will elect leaders who will guide us with “cross-focused” vision and encouragement.

In Christ,

Your friends at Cross Focused Leadership for Missouri
http://CrossFocusedLeadership.org

Phillip Magness
Stephen R. Johnson
Jenny Jordan
Lindsay Umayam
Pastor Paul Cain
Pastor Tony Sikora
Pastor Tom Chryst
Pastor Paul Schlueter
Pastor Clint Poppe

P.S. If you know of other delegates who would like to receive these emails, but are not receiving them, please ask them to let us know (http://crossfocusedleadership.org/subscribe) so we can add them to our list.

Dear Friend in Christ and Delegate to the National Synod Convention,

Be sure to make friends with your mail carrier. In the next few days he will be bringing to your door a new book from your friends at Cross Focused Leadership for Missouri. The book is recently published. It is titled A Little Book on Joy.

Joy is a word that fills the scriptures. Jesus himself says, “These things I have spoken to you that my JOY may be in you and your JOY may be full!” (John 15:11) As you have received the fruit of Good Friday and the promise of Easter, that JOY is yours. Guaranteed!

This summer you will attend our national synod convention. And while Christ has dressed his Bride with His righteousness and she is beautiful, she has her warts. Those warts are often on display at conferences and conventions where Synod politics and power wranglings seem to rule the day. Satan would love nothing more than to use these things to rob you of your joy.

But don’t be dismayed. Your joy is not in the beauty or the behavior of the bride. Your joy is in the Bridegroom! Your joy is in Christ who has clothed His Church in His righteousness so that His joy and yours may be complete.

The book we are sending has been written by Pastor Matt Harrison. In this book, Pastor Harrison draws out of the scriptures the joy that Christ has set aside for you. We are sending you a copy of this book, with the hope that you will be encouraged and filled with the joy of the Gospel as you make your preparations to travel to Houston. Please expect your copy of the book to arrive in your mailbox in the coming days.

May you be encouraged with the Joy that Christ has given to you,

Your friends at Cross Focused Leadership for Missouri

Phillip Magness
Stephen R. Johnson
Jenny Jordan
Lindsay Umayam
Pastor Paul Cain
Pastor Tony Sikora
Pastor Tom Chryst
Pastor Paul Schlueter
Pastor Clint Poppe

Dear Friend in Christ,

This Saturday (April 24th), Rev. Matt Harrison will be in Norwalk, CT, giving a presentation on his “Little Book on Joy” in the morning, and, after lunch, talking about new strategies for mission and evangelism. Plenty of time is available afterwards for people to ask questions as well. Click here to find out all the information about this event, or here for the location of St Peter’s.

Recently, the congregations of the Missouri Synod gave Rev. Matt Harrison over 1300 nominations to serve as our next synodical president, a very strong show of support. Come and see why. You’ll be refreshed by Rev. Harrison’s encouragement in the Gospel and be renewed in zeal as he reports of many exciting opportunities for mission the Lord has opened up for us.

In Christ,

Cross-Focused Leadership for Missouri

http://crossfocusedleadership.org

Phillip Magness
Stephen R. Johnson
Jenny Jordan
Lindsay Umayam
Pastor Paul Cain
Pastor Tony Sikora
Pastor Tom Chryst
Pastor Paul Schlueter
Pastor Clint Poppe

P.s. Be sure to check out our other articles, including The Church is a Family, Not a Business!

Dear Friend in Christ,

Congratulations on being elected as a delegate to our synodical convention this summer.

We are a group of pastors & lay leaders who are reaching out to delegates in advance of the convention, and so invite you to review our website. We hope the information and conversation we provide will prove to be a helpful supplement to all the information you will be considering as you perform your duties.

Here is our introduction letter to delegates. Particularly timely is also this news regarding nominations. You will also find other informative articles on the “Blue Ribbon” proposals, pastoral formation, and convention procedures.

Thank you for your service to our Lord and to His Church.

Your Servants in Christ,
Cross-Focused Leadership for Missouri

Phillip Magness
Stephen R. Johnson
Jenny Jordan
Lindsay Umayam
Pastor Paul Cain
Pastor Tony Sikora
Pastor Tom Chryst
Pastor Paul Schlueter
Pastor Clint Poppe

Dear LCMS Delegate,

The nomination count is in and it shows an unusually high number for Matt Harrison and a surprisingly low number for President Kieschnick. Click here for the full story.

Links:

• The Numbers are In
• The Nomination Announcement
• The announcement from the Reporter

Your Servants in Christ,
Cross-Focused Leadership for Missouri
Phillip Magness
Stephen R. Johnson
Jenny Jordan
Lindsay Umayam
Pastor Paul Cain
Pastor Tony Sikora
Pastor Tom Chryst
Pastor Paul Schlueter
Pastor Clint Poppe

Dear LCMS Delegate,

We had a couple family reunions of sorts the last couple of weekends. Portions of our LCMS family got together for the regional delegate gatherings in Denver, Colorado and Detroit, Michigan. We got together to hear a report from our church leaders about the work that they have been doing as they are looking to lead us on into the future. We listened intently as the representatives of the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Synod Structure and Governance offered their report and spoke to our concerns.

It doesn’t matter if your congregation is Indiana, Colorado, New Mexico, Ohio, or the English District, we are all Missouri. And Missouri is a family. LCMS Michiganders visiting a congregation in Ohio can quickly discover that they share mutual friends in Denver. That is because we are a family. But what is it that unites us? What creates this common bond, this family spirit that joins us together in one house? Is it “Lutheran culture”? (After all, which of us hasn’t chuckled understandingly at a Garrison Keillor monologue?) Is it our potlucks? Is it mutual friendships? Or is it something else?

Read more…

Dear LCMS Delegate,

Congratulations on being selected as a delegate to the 2010 convention of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod! This is a great privilege and an even greater responsibility. We all pray that you accomplish significant things for our Lord and His church.

We are a group that is working to promote good churchmanship in the LCMS. We would like to send you occasional e-mails over the course of the next couple of months, so that you have some resources to work with prior to your receipt of the Convention Workbook and other mailings from the national office. We hope this will assist you in your deliberations, as we all work toward “being united in the same mind and the same judgment” (I Corinthians 1:10) in the Holy Scriptures and our Lutheran confessions.

Read more…